The Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) is a Seattle-based animal rights organization. NARN has been dedicated to ending the exploitation of animals by raising awareness of animal suffering in the food, entertainment, experimentation, and fashion industries since 1986. Our efforts include outreach, demonstrations, litigation, and educational events.

NARN is an all-volunteer grassroots organization with a 501(c)3 non-profit status. We rely on the generous donations and volunteer efforts to carry out our mission. Please assist us in our efforts by volunteering your time or making a tax-deductible donation. Check out our Get Involved page for what you can do to help us defend the rights, welfare, and habitat of non-human animals.

Mission

As an animal rights organization, we advocate for the rights inherent to all sentient beings to live a full life, to be free, and to not to be used and exploited. We engage in campaigns and other educational actions to expose, challenge, and alleviate the suffering, use and abuse of non-human animals.

We also advocate that veganism is the best and most consistent way to respect the lives of animals; by rejecting the support of products and companies that deny them their inherent rights to live a life of freedom and fulfillment of their interests, it is the living practice of animal rights.

Values

NARN holds these values as the core of operating as an organization:

Compassion and Respect

We contend that no individual can be denied their inherent rights, regardless of species, race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. All deserve compassion and respect, and we reject any actions that denies or exploits both human and non-human beings.

Non-Violence

As animal rights contends that *all* sentient beings, human and nonhuman, are deserving of respect and consideration, we operate with non-violence as a guiding principle and as a strategy for positive change.

Education

We hold that education is a key component for positive change. Through outreach, education and open dialog, we aim to have the greater community question and examine the relationship between human and nonhuman animals, to provide the tools and resources for the community to consider the benefits of a vegan lifestyle as a living practice of animal rights, to recommend the rejection of products, companies and organizations that abuse and exploit non-human animals, and to emphasis the importance of recognizing the freedom and justice due to non-human animals.

Community

Through our education and service, we work within our local, regional and global community to make a positive impact. We work with other like-minded groups, organizations, companies, and individuals to provide both strength of community and of unified support. Support and service to community is of paramount importance to achieve change at a grassroots level and is one of the greatest contributions any of us can make to this world.

Action

Only through action can we achieve change and confront exploitation. Education, campaigns targeting abuse, volunteering, and support of others are all necessary and is the practice of what NARN advocates.

Approach

Since our position is calling for both the end of the abuse and exploitation of animals, our approach is one of animal rights pragmatism*; we must strive for what is best for sentient beings at all times. To allow the worst of abuses unchallenged while we work to secure the ultimate rights of animals puts the animals through needless suffering. Animal rights, while it is the goal we all wish for the animals, is merely a means to an end, not the end itself. The end is the sentient being. In fighting for the rights of animals, the animals themselves should be the primary focus in deciding what we can achieve now.